


Sympathy for the Devil

by j520j



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Books reference, Canon Divergence, First Meetings, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Shakespeare Quotations, Slow Burn, Song Reference, Violent Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-01-28 18:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12612948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j520j/pseuds/j520j
Summary: Cabell Dice is a successful jazz singer and songwriter on Inkwell Isle, but he wants more fame, money and power.Maybe he can gain these things, if he doesn't lose his soul first.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Simpatia pelo Diabo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12608660) by [j520j](https://archiveofourown.org/users/j520j/pseuds/j520j). 



> "Cabell" is the first name of Cab Calloway, jazz singer that served as base for the King Dice.
> 
> English is not my native language. If you find any grammar atrocity, let me know!

Applause.

Cabell Dice wouldn't say the sound is bad, but for some time now he's been looking for another kind of emotion.

The Big Dice Band is a big hit all over Inkwell Isle. Or at least what you might consider a 'great success' in such a small, provincial place.

It seems a lifetime since Cabell left his homeland to try his luck at other places. He was a young _hepster_ looking for work. Without references, he had only a beautiful voice, good dance moves and - according to some people - a good look. Jazz was new in Inkwell Isle and it took a while for people to get used to the fast sound and dancing rhythm of that new style of music.

Dice was unique there and this helped him to stand out. He started singing and dancing in the streets to get some coins. Then he was invited by pub owners and nightclubs to make small presentations. Gradually other musicians became interested in his style and joined him. The band was born. Soon, Cabell Dice became Prince Dice: the great ' _Hi-de-ho man_ '

It was fun. For a while.

He was already tired of performing on small stages, badly frequented bars or even having to share a night of performances with Ludwig or Wolfgang. Those two were very annoying and didn't understand anything about real music.

People still applauded Dice, but he could feel that with each new performance, the audience lost enthusiasm. And so did he.

He needed something new. Some new challenge that would renew it.

"We're out, Dice!" said Ribby, on a particularly monotonous night after a show. "We're out of the band!"

"Oh thank you very much!" Cabell said, giving the frog a wry smile. "I was already predicting that you and your brother Croaks would abandon the boat, which is why I sent a telegram asking Chimes to take up the percussion in the band. You two were never very good at it anyway.

"Oh, you always think of everything, don't you, dicehead?" the frog crossed his arms and show his huge tongue to the man. "Well, lucky for you I'm in a good mood, otherwise I'd leave leaving a new purple mark on your face! You'd have two '2' numbers in your head!"

"And since when do you know how to punch without breaking all your fragile little Batrachius fingers?"

Dice knew the story of the frogs brothers Ribby and Croaks. Since they were young they tried their luck in the clandestine rings to get some money. Fighting was what they liked most, but unfortunately they were never very good at it. They always picked up all their opponents and their career in the ring has always been a complete failure.

"Heh, now it's different!" the frog flexed his arm to show his muscles, though there was nothing there. "I and Crocks are back in the ring, we're strong now! Neither Goopy Le Grande can beat us!"

"Oh, really?" Dice didn't seem very convinced. "And how did you get so strong from one moment to another?"

The question seemed to bother the frog, but he sighed and lifted his chin when he said,

"We made a DEAL!"

 

..............................................

 

Since when Inkwell Isle had a casino? And why the Big Dice Band was never invited to play there?

Cabell Dice approached the big, intimidating gates with caution. The smell of sulfur penetrated through his single pink spot in the middle of his face. As he entered the building lights, colors, sounds, and laughter flooded him. This was the most extraordinary casino he had ever seen.

Okay, he hadn't seen many in his life. Only a few in his homeland, where he simply stood at the door making numbers of tap dance for a few bucks. He had never been in a casino before, and what he saw left him dazzled.

Several tables with people playing cards, waiters serving drinks, a lot of slot machines, a little lively band playing in the background (he really needed to present his services to the owner of the place!) Three big roulettes spinning nonstop and a table with ... oh! Dice!

In that world it wasn't uncommon for people to be born with body parts similar to everyday objects: canteen, lamp, clock, kettle, cup, etc. And some end up turning to a profession that has to do with their form, like that thief who had a coin body.

Not that this is a rule. Forkington, for example, had a fork as head, but he didn't work in a restaurant or anything (well, the place where he worked was a mystery).

But as soon as he saw the dice rolling, Cabell felt a certain ... attraction to that activity. He imagined himself working in that place, watching people play dice, the thrill of winning or losing and everything that came from it.

But not. He was there for another reason. He wanted to know who the frog brothers had made the 'deal' with. Was he a fighter coach? No, not even all the training in the world would make those two incompetents strong. Was it a scientist who created some magic formula? Some doctor who implanted anvils in place of their hands? Who would ...?

For a moment, the casino lights went out. The temperature increased. And the band started playing another song (albeit a bit off the beat ... Dice really needed to present his talents!). A loud voice came and began to sing:

 

_Please allow me to introduce myself_

_I'm a man of wealth and taste_

_I've been around for a long, long year_

_Stole many a man's soul to waste!_

 

Was it a man (or a goat, perhaps? He had horns!) Tall, with black hair covering his body from head to toe. His hands and feet had sharp claws, and his scary smile held fangs. He had a long tail which, with each beat, cracked like a whip. The casino officials bowed before him as he passed by and continued to sing:

 

_Pleased to meet you_

_Hope you guess my name_

_But what's puzzling you_

_Is the nature of my game!_

 

Cabell couldn't say what impressed him the most: the man's voice, his bearing, the overt subservience of people, or even knowing what his identity was.

The Devil.

Of course he had heard of this creature. In his homeland his parents took him to church. But the things the preachers said seemed more like a fairy tale (of those very tedious) than reality.

Yet there was a Devil. And he was right in front of him.

He finished singing and bowed. Everyone in the casino started clapping. A trident appeared in his left hand and he began to spin it in an exhibitionistic way.

"Welcome to my casino! I hope everyone is having fun!" he said, his powerful voice echoing through the hall. "For those who are willing to make really high stakes, just talk to me! My room is open to those who wish to make Agreements! And I guarantee that I will always have everything that you wish!"

What Dice wanted was more fame. More money. More power. He had already reached the limit of everything he could conquer at Inkwell Isle. There was nowhere else to grow.

Or maybe there was. If he could bring the Big Dice Band to this place ...

"Oh, who are you?" the demon approached Cabell. "A new face, of course! I would have noticed if a pretty square face like yours had already appeared in my casino."

"Uh ..." surprised at the abrupt approach, Dice stepped back. "Good-night, sir ... hmmm ... Devil! My name is Cabell Dice, better known as Prince Dice, the Hi-de-ho man of Inkwell Isle."

"I've never heard of you."

"Oh." It was hard to hide his expression of disappointment. "I ... huh ... I came here to ..."

"... to make a deal with me, right?" the Devil murmured.

"No!" Cabell would have stepped back another step if the Devil's hand on his shoulder prevented him from moving further. "I came here to ... to offer my services with the Big Dice Band. We are excellent musicians and we can liven up this place for real!"

 "Oh, so you can sing and dance?" Devil licked his lips in an obscene way. "Tell me, can you do a solo performance without the help of your band?"

"Well, I could. I just needed a gramophone to play the background music."

"No problem! And would you also go out and do a show for a smaller audience ... and a more private place."

"Hmmm, would this smaller and more private audience be ... just you?"

"And besides being charming, he's smart!"

Dice removed the Devil's hand from his shoulder, spun on his heel, and started toward the door. The creature, however, grabbed his arm.

"Oh, don't be difficult! I know what you want!"

"You know nothing!" Dice exclaimed, pulling his arm.

"You want fame, money and power!"

Dice swallowed hard. Before he could say anything, the demon continued,

"Hehe, surprised? Knowing people's desires is a talent I have! Sometimes I know of things that people themselves cannot even imagine they want!" the creature approached and placed a hand on Cabell's shoulder, caressing lightly the '3' face of his head. "I can get these things for you with a snap of my fingers. It's all so easy! And as a bonus, I can give you this ... 'another' thing you want without charging anything!"

"What ... what 'another' thing?!"

"Do you want me to say it aloud? Heh, with pleasure ...!"

"Stop it." Dice's voice took on a more authoritative tone, and the Devil's eyes seemed to delight in that change of posture. "I will not make Deals with you!"

Cabell turned his back on the demon, though his heart was racing. He tried to disguise his fear of angering the Devil himself by walking hard and haughty toward the exit.

He was not stupid: he knew that Deals with the Devil would only result in his ruin. No, he would never give his soul to him.

... but he left the place thinking that it wouldn't be so bad to give his body.


	2. Chapter 2

Provincial stages, in the middle of the Inkwell Isle forest, were the worst.

For starters, there was no electricity. The only light came from the buttocks of half a dozen fireflies that drank and smoked on the roof of the small stage. Microphone, no way. Fortunately, Cabell's voice was loud and clear and he didn't need such rigging.

Prince Dice made his show, as everyone expected. The only good thing was that the country boys were much more impressed with him than the city's public. They were all sitting on the grass, with no tables full of whiskey to draw their attention from the show.

 

_Hey, folks! Have you ever met that funny reefer man?!_

 

The audience shouted, _"Reefer man!"_

 

_Have you ever met that funny reefer man?!_

 

Everyone was glazed with Dice's movements that floated across the stage as he drove the rhythm of the music. Small tugs in the lapel of his impeccable suit, his hips poking with enthusiasm and winks of his green eyes made the ladies (and some gentlemen) sigh for him. Cabell knew how to win the public. Especially when it comes to making them sing along:

 

_If he said he walks the ocean, any time he takes the notion_

_then you know you're talking to reefer man!_

 

 _"Reefer man!"_ shouted two boys with mugs in place of the head who were in the front row and who probably should be minors. The liquid contents of their heads splashed on the edge of the stage. That should be their first show.

A brown-haired woman in a red dress and a pointed nose spread her arms and sang with excitement. He says he knows about other shows. He recognized her from the various letters with pictures that the fans sent him. Her name was Hilda, if he was not mistaken, and she was one of those passionate fans who followed him everywhere. _You and several others, baby!_ he thought, proudly.

One of the musicians missed the timing. Cabell raised his voice to disguise the dissonance. Luckily he was prepared for improvisations. With a few exclamations of "Hi-de-ho-de-ho!" nobody noticed anything. Everyone looked at him with attention and admiration.

And then, the song came to an end.

Applause.

Again, Cabell Dice wouldn't say the sound is bad, but ... again ... it's been some time since he's been looking for another kind of emotion.  
The Big Dice Band played half a dozen songs, driving the audience crazy. When the show ended, Prince Dice blew a kiss to his fans and bowed. Everyone applauded and asked for more.

"An autograph! Please, an autograph!" several people begged. At other times Cabell would be happy to sign one by one, but he was tired.

"Sorry, folks, not today, we need to go." said the hepster, apologetically. Guards appeared and ensured that no one would approach the musician. The fans looked disappointed but understood.

Except one of them.

When the band was storing the instruments inside the transport truck, a turbine sound made everyone look up. The guards whistled, indicating that there were problems in the area, but were soon silenced with the sound of something heavy falling on them.

Dice looked back and noticed that a gigantic cloud-shaped bull had trampled on the guards. And to his astonishment, the next moment the bull became Hilda Berg.

"Sorry, my dear! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! " she said in a loud, strident voice. She started to approach slowly. "It's just that I couldn't let you go without ... without ... _aaaaahhhh!_ " she exclaimed as she stood no more than a meter away from Cabell. "Golly! Oh, I can hardly believe I'm talking to you! In person! I'm so ... so ...!"

"Er ... calm down." Dice raised his hands, begging the woman to calm down (and also not to reveal hir fear of her powers. _Had she really become a bull seconds ago?_ )

"Oh yes, of course I'm going to calm down! Oh and I didn't even introduce myself! My name is Hilda Berg I got to ... um ... send some letters to you with pictures of me a few months ago!"

"Yes, I received them."

"I want to send more, but I had problems with the ...!"

"I get it." he interrupted she harshly. "You want an autograph?"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes! I would be very grateful!"

Hilda held out a sheet of paper that, on the other side, was a picture of Cabell clipped from a newspaper (and it was full of red lipstick stains). He signed his name nervously and returned it to the woman, struggling to keep his smile.

"Thank you! I went on all your shows!"

"Ah, good."

"I bought your records! I also buy every newspaper or magazine you appear in. I am your number one fan!"

"I'm glad you like my music."

"Like?! I _love_ your music! I love your dances! I love your voice! And I also love ... I love ...!"

"Miss Berg, I really go." he interrupted her again.

"Oh, of course, of course, I don't want to disturb you, not at all! Oh, thank you so much again!"

The woman turned into a small airship and flew off into Inkwell's night. Dice let out a long sigh. He was already used to having crazy fans on his foot, but this one from Hilda Berg seemed to be quite insistent ... and dangerous.

"This woman knows how to get attention!" said the Cantil Pilot, the owner of the truck that was transporting the band. "I gave her some flying lessons when she was a little girl and could barely fly alone. Her hybrid form with a blimp was not so easy to control."

"Yeah, she doesn't seem to be an easy person to control, either." Dice crossed his arms. "Did you also teach her how to become a bull?"

"Oh, no, this power, and many other equally dangerous ones, she has not learned from me. In fact, it's not her nature to turn into zodiacal signs. "

"And how did she learn to do this?"

"Sheila told me she made a DEAL."

.........................................................

 

The Moldenhauer Pub was the most expensive in Inkwell Isle and it accepted people with pockets full of money. Unlike the 2-Strip Gentlemen's Club, it had Forkington as a bouncer and that it was necessary to fill in certain 'minimum requirements' to enter that no one could understand what they were. Probably a very empty place.

A band played jazz (really, there was no one to match the Big Dice Band there) and Cabell tried to relax by drinking twelve-year-old whiskey and smoking an imported cigar. He was at a private table in a dark corner of the pub, alone.

There was not much more to spend money on there.

 _I need to get out of here._ he thought, letting the smoke up. _Inkwell already filled me up. I need new challenges._

But who said he had the courage to leave his comfort zone?

Inkwell Isle sucked, but at least he was treated like a prince there. If he tried to take the Big Dice Band to other places he knew he would not have that much prestige anymore. He would be a stranger, fighting for space in an environment where there were others as talented as him. Cabell would no longer be a prince.

"Rather reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven ..." he murmured as he tapped the ash from his cigar into an ashtray.

"I fully agree!"

Dice almost jumped out of his skin when he realized who was at his side. _Speaking of the Devil ...!_ he thought. And the Devil's smile gave him the impression that the creature could read his thoughts.

"What a beautiful thing as you are doing here, drinking alone? It's a crime!" the demon sat at the table. "Ask for anything, it's on me!"

"Nice try." Dice snorted. "But I want nothing from you."

"You're really stubborn ... I like this!" a clawed hand touched lightly on Cabell's hand holding the glass of whiskey. The hepster pulled his hand away as if he had been electrocuted. "Whoa, calm down, you don't have to be so afraid, I don't bite!" a smile full of fangs formed in the Devil's face. "Unless you ask!"

"I said I don't want anything from you!" Dice rose from the table. "Leave me alone."

"Oh, so you _want_ something! You want me to leave you alone!"

"Don't try to fool me with wordplay!" the man frowned. "The inhabitants of this island can be a bunch of idiots and make deals with you without thinking, but I'm not like them! You can give up trying to get my soul in! I would never negotiate with you!"

"I understand."

Dice's eyes widened. The quick, categorical way the Devil seemed to accept that last argument surprised him. But what surprised the hepster was when the creature stood up. Chin erect, chest stooped, upright posture, horns pointing up. Cabell swallowed and was not because of fear.

"From the moment I laid eyes on you I realized that you were different." the Devil continued. A friendly (but dangerous) smile formed on his face. "You are most certainly not an idiot. You are clever and I will no longer offend your intelligence by insisting that you make an deal with me."

"Ah ... great." Dice said, a little worried.

"However, I would like to make an deal with you."

"Huh?" the man blinked a few times. "Are you saying you want to ask me something?"

"Yes." the Devil took a step forward. His face was inches from Cabell's face. "I want to ask for a kiss."

The hepster held his breath. He didn't know how to react to it. His head, always so quick to respond cleverly, seemed to be working more slowly at that moment.

"Oh ... a kiss? And you ... um ... what would you give me in return?"

"What about my soul?" the Devil smiled.

"Uh, I don't think I have the means to ... collect it." Dice rattled his fingers nervously. "What if you ... hmm ... if you got me a good saxophonist? The Big Dice Band really needs one."

"One? Why not three?" the Devil smiled. "Three good saxophonists for the price of a kiss of yours?"

"Oh, it's not _that_ expensive ..."

Cabell had to stop talking, for the Devil's hand held his square chin. Now the creature was so close he could feel his breath on his lips.

"Yes it is." said the demon, approaching inch by inch. "Expensive and precious."

The kiss was simple and chaste. The two men's lips touched each other for a few moments, until the demon moved slowly away. Dice's eyes remained closed all the time and when they opened the Devil was smiling.

"There." the creature said, smiling non-stop. "Come by my casino tomorrow and you'll have your saxophonists."

Snapping his fingers, the Devil disappeared in a cloud of smoke and brimstone.

Still mesmerized by what had just happened, Dice brought his hand to his lips. He wondered if the Devil was telling the truth and if the musicians were really waiting for him in the casino - and if they were really that good.

Even if it were not true, it was still worth it. _I could have given him a lot more ... I think I WANT to give and him a lot more ..._ the musician thought. Sighing, he called the waiter and asked for the bill.


	3. Chapter 3

A kiss. The price was a kiss.

Tipsy Troop was in the Big Dice Band playing saxophones the next day. They could be a trio of drunks, but they were very good musicians. And the best part is that Dice didn't have to pay them a salary.

"De Devizz orderech us to servech yaaaa!" said the Rumble Glass, always with his coiled speech. "Dunthave to pay us anychin'..."

Apparently those three had made a deal with the Devil and now the demon owned them. And his order was to serve the Prince Dice without question - and without payment.

Cabell should feel bad for them, but the truth is that the quality of the band had improved a lot with the entry of Tipsy Troop. At least he tried to treat them the best he could, though he felt it didn't make much difference. A well-treated slave was still a slave.

To think that he could have the same fate left him with a bad feeling in his stomach.

Things continued well for a while, but a week later the Devil had crossed in his way again when the musician was walking on the East Pier of Inkwell Isle to relax.

"Did you like the trio?" the devil's voice was booming, catching Dice by surprise.

"Oh!" the hepster raised his hand to his heart and grunted. "You need to stop scaring me."

"Why? Fear is the most primitive instinct." A hairy hand rested on Dice's shoulder. He shuddered at the touch. "And the relief that comes after fear is always very sweet."

"Yeah ... maybe."

"You don't look very dapper today."

"Oh, it's my day off." Cabell gestured at his plain clothes, a black social shirt with a pair of white walking pants. "Sometimes it's good to get rid of that purple suit."

"I'd rather see you without that suit!" the malicious intent in the sentence was very clear.

Dice twisted his lips and shook his head. He wondered why the devil was investing so much time in him when it was obvious that there were other people much easier to deceive. Distractedly, he leaned over the grating of the pier, watching the sea under the night.

"What do people usually ask you for?"

"Oh, the most varied things!" the Devil also leaned against the railing, though he was looking at Cabell instead of the sea. "Many ask me to give them the means to achieve their goals, for example, the frog brothers: they wanted to be fighters, but they did not have the physical strength for it.

"Yes, I saw in the local paper that they won the champions' belt a few days ago, after beating Goopy Le Grande."

"Exactly, and the next day this Goopy Le Grande made an agreement with me."

"Heh. I guess the fights will be more balanced now." Dice removed a packet of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. When he went to light one, the devil's thumb was already in front of his face. On fire. "Oh, thank you for the fire, I will not have to give you my soul for it, will I?"

"Hey, I can be generous once in a while and offer things with nothing in return."

"How lovely." the musician let out smoke through his purple dot in the middle of his face. "What people ask more?"

"Let's see: money is usually the most common." the devil began to enumerate things on his fingers. "Material things, Physical Prowess, Intellectual Prowess, Love ..."

"Love?"

"Yes, did you know that girl, Hilda, asked you?"

Cabell nearly dropped his cigarette into the sea.

"But I explained to her that it wouldn't be possible." the Devil continued. "This kind of agreement involves the will of another person. If she asked me for one of my lackeys to love I could force the creature to fall in love with her, since I have control of the souls of my servants, but in this case, no. All I could do was give her power to look more attractive to you. "

"A bull made of clouds makes her more attractive to me?!"

"Hey, she's the one who asked for it! I remember she said something about 'zodiac sign compatibility' between the lovers or something and I gave her the power to be any sign she wanted." the demon laughed. "Of course it didn't work out as she'd hoped."

"Ah!" Dice threw his square head back. "Hahahaha! Oh, I cannot believe you made me laugh!"

"I'm glad I managed to throw a little warmth into your capricorn's heart of stone!"

"Gimme a break!" he finished the cigarette and erased it on the pier's rail. "Well, I need to get away."

"So early, why don't you come to my casino?"

"I'm not feeling lucky today."

"But I am."

Without any embarrassment, the demon grabbed Cabell by the waist and brought him close to his body. Although he was without clothes in the middle of that cold night, his hair was hot. And soft to the touch, Dice realized. That's why the hepster took a few moments to react.

"You know ... there is a law against people who grab the others without consent!" he said, getting rid of the Devil's arms.

"You like it!"

"It's cold! Of course, a warmth fur is pleasant to the touch."

"I know a place where you can feel mine for the warm all night!"

"No." Dice's voice sounded categorical. "Leave me alone. I have a long walk to my house."

"On foot?!" the demon shook his head. "Oh, no, I cannot let you walk around alone."

"Are you going to call a cab? It's going to be hard to find one here in the middle of the night."

"I'll do better: how about I make another deal in exchange for a perpetual private transport for you and your band?"

"Transport?" the idea didn't look bad. Cabell always had problems when he depended on the Cantile Pilot's transports. "Well ... it depends! What do you want in return?"

"How about a ... how do you mortals really call?" the demon scratched his head and then smiled triumphantly. "Oh, yes, how about a French kiss?"

Dice's eyes widened. His mouth dropped open with shock and the Devil took advantage of it to advance.

The devil's hands were on his waist again and his lips were hungry. His split tongue danced into Dice's mouth, sending shivers down his spine. When he realized it, Cabell was kissing him back. The kiss was intense, under the moonlight and with the soft waves of the sea in the background.

"Ah ..." the hepster broke the kiss and pushed his face away. "... enough."

"You want more." the devil did not ask a question, but a finding.

"I want to go home." He wrinkled his brows and pulled away.

"Of course." the disappointment in the demon's voice was evident.

He put two fingers to his mouth and gave a long whistle. In a few moments the sound of the horse-trot began to be audible. Soon, a troupe of skeleton horses appeared pulling a carriage. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, floated above the others.

"Did you call us, master?" said the horse, letting out a ghostly neigh.

"Yes, Phear Lap. From today you and your friends will serve Cabell Dice. They will transport him and his band to wherever he wants, any time he wants."

"Yes sir!"

The carriage door opened abruptly. The hepster seemed uncertain about getting into the carriage or not. Its interior seemed dark and uninviting.

"You really don't trust me." the demon shook his head in annoyance.

"Oh, did you ever look in the mirror?" Cabell asked. "What makes you think that the lord of lies deserves trust?"

"Hah, lies?" the Devil seemed to amuse himself with the accusation. "The only sin I don't do is to lie, handsome. Yes, there are many demons that lie, but not I. Do you think Deals can be made this way? There are rules when you make a contract that even I cannot break. "

"Hmmm, right." still hesitating, Dice entered the carriage.

The demon stepped forward, while the door was still open, to give him one last soft kiss of farewell to his lips.

"Hey!"

"Come on, if I can be generous every now and then and offer things with nothing in return, so can you, right?"

Before Dice could give an answer, the demon shut the carriage door. With a click, the carriage took off.

....................................................................................

The transportation that Phear Lap and his skeleton horses offered was very good. Fast, effective, comfortable and ... for free. Dice could now save the money from the shipping to buy better instruments for the band.

One afternoon, shortly after the morning rehearsals, he and the Devil met again. The creature was getting bolder and, this time, asked for a 'make out'. This made Dice remember that the rural stages never had electricity, so he asked for his own force generator. One that never ran out.

A few seconds later a rabbit named Hopus Pocus was in the service of the band, conjuring electricity to the microphones and the lights of the stage with a touch of his magic wand. The creature still had some special effects for the show with its powers.

Shortly after the presentation, the rabbit took a note from the devil and handed it to Dice:

'I'm waiting for you in the Inkwell Isle forest for a nighttime picnic! Phear Lap knows the way. '

 _Picnic?_ Cabell gave a sad laugh. _Seriously, what does he think I am? Some high school girl that he's going to conquer with romantic dates?_

There was another issue: the place was quite isolated. Desert. Sinister. Dice would be totally helpless at the mercy of the Devil if he went on this date.

_Oh, as if an encounter in a busy and enlightened place really prevented that Devil from doing whatever he wanted with me!_

The musician called the skeleton horse and this led him to the forest of Inkwell Isle. The hepster just thought he needed to do his part of the deal. Phear Lap left him alone at the entrance of the forest and Cabell had to walk the rest of the way. In a moonlit clearing, he saw the Devil.

A black and white tablecloth, macabre mimicking a picnic tablecloth, was placed on the grass. In a basket made of interwoven black leather straps were meat, cheese, caviar and a bottle of German Schloss Johannisberg wine, probably older than Germany itself.

"You certainly didn't save!" Dice said, smiling, as he inspected the bottle of wine.

"Oh, please! Money is just the easiest thing in the world to do! Finding this hundred-year-old bottle was harder."

"You always get everything you want, do not you?"

That statement seemed to leave the demon surprised, but he just smiled.

"Maybe today I will!"

The two men passed the first man eating and talking. It was interesting to meet the Devil a little deeper. He had a very feral black humor, a fun arrogance and he liked to talk about his job: collecting souls.

Dice began to laugh a lot when the demon told how he offered the owner of a cartoon studio an ink machine to make all his characters become real. Detail: one of them was a demon and it ended up destroying the whole studio.

"Hahaha! The guy didn't even stop to think what he was doing? Is that even possible?! People can really be _that_ stupid?!"

"When people want things, they become stupid." the devil drank the rest of the wine left in the bottle. "They see only the end, not the middle. When what they want is within their fingertips, they don't even stop to think about what it will cost them when they stretch out their hand and grasp their desire."

"And then you make the Deal ... and take their souls." Dice lowered his voice at the end of the sentence.

"Yeah." the Devil nodded. "It's fair. After all, facilities come at a price."

They were both silent for a moment. Only the sound of Cabell chewing a piece of cheese could be heard. After swallowing him, he asked, avoiding to look the demon in the eyes:

"What do you need souls for?"

"Huh?" the demon seemed visibly disconcerted by the question.

"Souls, why do you need them? Seriously ... you have incalculable powers, you have minions in hell who can attend to all your desires, and if you lack manpower, you can buy them with money that you create You don't need these souls, right?

"It's true, but needing and wanting are different things."

"Ok ... why do you want souls?"

The question seemed to make the demon stop to think about it for the first time.

"I don't know, I think it's the satisfaction of conquest." he said with a smile. "In the same way that I did not set up the casino to make a financial profit, in fact, if you take a look at the accounts of the place, they are always in the red, not that this is a problem, because I can create more money like this." he snapped his fingers to demonstrate his argument. "That place is just a bait for the unwary thirsty for wealth and vice to come and, after a few rounds and some drinks, make an deal with me."

He paused. He turned the bottle of wine and realized that it was empty. With a sigh, he threw it away and turned to Dice.

"And you? Why do you want more fame, money and power?"

"Well ..." the musician seemed to hesitate for a moment. "... because it's good to have these things, the more the merrier."

"And you're proud to have conquered them?"

"But of course!" Cabell lifted his square chin. "I'm very proud of myself, I'm very good at what I do, I'm the best singer and jazz dancer in Inkwell Isle, and all I've earned, I've deserved it, without a shadow of a doubt!"

"In this case ..." The demon opened a smile full of sharp fangs. "What would be the fun of getting more money, fame and power easily? Is not much more fun to conquer than to gain?"

"Hmmm, yes, you're right ..."

Before Dice could finish the sentence, the Devil came upon him with a hungry kiss. It seems the conversation is over.

The demon's big hands were on his back. His chest moved quickly through the panting breath and pressed against Cabell's chest, whose hands were not quite sure where to stand and what to do. He touched lightly in the hair of the demon that was warm and soft, finally finding a rest around his broad shoulders.

The taste of centenary wine was still noticeable in his mouth. The kiss was only broken for a few brief seconds to allow the two of them to breathe. Before he noticed it, Dice was lying with his back to the floor and his head resting on the edge of the picnic tablecloth.

"One-eyed snake!" the demon laughed, realizing that Cabell's face, turned upward, was the '1' side of his head.

"Oh ... does that mean bad luck?"

"Not for me!"

The demon continued the kiss, this time even more hungry. His hands now gripped and caressed parts of Dice's body that no one had ever touched. Chest, thighs, abdomen, groin ... a soft murmur escaped from the hepster's lips and the Devil took it as a signal to continue.

When the purple pants zipper began to be lowered, Cabell gripped the demon's wrist, preventing him from continuing.

"W-wait...!" he exclaimed, the breath still panting from the 'making out'. "... no ... we cannot go that far ...!"

"Why not?!" the Devil frowned and his voice sounded very annoying. "You want this, I can feel it! In your mind as well as in your body!"

"No." Dice dragged himself away from the demon with the aid of his elbows. "I can not...!"

In a swift movement the two hands of the demon gripped Cabell's shoulders and pinned him to the ground. Fear gripped the musician, believing that this time the demon had finally lost his temper. The Devil gripped his wrists tightly, almost to the point of bruising, as he rubbed his groin in his. Dice let out another murmur of pleasure as he felt a familiar warmth in the middle of his legs.

"Stop pretending you do not want this!" the demon purred close to the musician's face. "You can not deceive me about this, I can read your mind and your yearnings, you want to give yourself to me!"

"I-I ... already _wanted_ to kill my own father ..." moaned Cabell, twisting his body to try to get out from under the demon. "... but that does not mean I _did_ it!"

With a tug, he broke free. But he knew he was only free because the Devil had left. He knew he had no chance against the creature if he really wanted to rape him.

But wanting something doesn't mean you're going to do ... right?

The demon's eyes were steaming with anger. It was possible to see from his expression that he was about to make an impulsive decision. But he only let out a long sigh, followed by smoke and flames. His expression still carried anger, but also a great deal of disappointment.

"Good evening." he said, rising and disappearing in a cloud of smoke and brimstone.

Dice knelt on the floor, waiting for his heart to calm down. He was full of adrenaline for the event, not to mention that the heat in the middle of the legs had not yet dissipated.

Cabell was scared.

Scared that the next time he met the demon, he would force him to surrender. He could use blackmail: threatening to take away from Dice everything he had conquered.  Threaten the life of the few friends he made on the island. Hey, he could use force to possess him. Maybe he didn't get his soul, but his body would be easy to take by force.

But there was another fear that lodged in Cabell's mind and that seemed to be even greater.

Dice was afraid of falling in love.


	4. Chapter 4

Dice didn't like to do private shows, unless customers paid good money. But at that time of his career money was a problem he didn't have and he could refuse these kind of work.

But Elder Kettle had insisted _a lot_.

"Please, Mr. Dice. My boys are big fans of your work and it'd be a dream come true if you could sing a song in the birthday of the youngest, Cuphead." the old man explained, a look of supplication in his eyes. "I have some savings, but if it isn't enough I can make a loan, or ..."

"How much do you have?" the musician asked, wanting to complete the negotiation quickly.

It was a low amount, but Dice accepted the first offer. He hated to think the old man could do something foolish to accomplish his grandchildren's dream, like making a deal with the Devil.

It seemed that half of Inkwell Isle had already made a deal with the Devil.

When the hepster appeared by surprise in the small cabin where the two lived, where a party with a few guests had been arranged, the young Cuphead almost clinched his own handle when he fell back.

"I-is-is-is ... the D-Dice! _Hot dawg_ , it's him! Waaaaaah!"

Mugman was also very happy, though he barely managed to utter a word. He was too nervous to be so close to his idol.

The musician greeted the two boys, signed autographs for them and the other party guests, and began to sing the music he had promised with the sound of the gramophone in the background:

 

_Hey, folks! Here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocher!_

_She was a red-hot hoochie-coocher_

_She was the roughest, toughest frail_

_But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale!_

 

The two mugheads were thrilled. They tried to sing along, but their voices were too shaky. Dice barely paid attention to them, concentrating on his own music. He was singing it while various thoughts ran through his head.

 _Most people didn't understand this song._  he thought as he kept his voice tuned and his green eyes stared into emptiness.

Everyone thought it was the story of a poor rich girl who traded the man she loved for a man with money. Or they thought the 'poor' was an irony. That Minnie was very happy. But in Dice's head that song had a different meaning.

 

_He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses!_

_Each meal she ate was a dozen courses_

_She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes_

_She sat around and counted them all a million times!_

 

Poor Minnie. The girl who got everything she _wanted_ ... at the price of everything she _needed_.

When the hepster finished singing, the applause came. He even sang a quick version of 'Happy Birthday' just to complete his little show and at this point the two boys were even more excited. Dice bowed and was already leaving, when Cuphead grabbed the tail of his suit.

"I-I'm-I-I wanted to thank you ...!"

"Oh, it's not necessary, lad. It was a pleasure to sing on your birthday."

"I'm honored! I really wanted to ... wanted ... uh ... ah! I-I don't know what to say!"

"Hey, let Mr. Dice leave, Cup!" said Mugman, nudging his brother. "He doesn't have all night to talk to you. I'm sure he should have some show scheduled tonight and you're just slowing him down."

"Oh yes, yes! I know! I ... I ... I'm sorry! I don't want to disturb you! But it's ... uh ... well ...!"

"Haha, you look like a kid! Don't forget you're twenty-one today, little brother!"

 _Twenty one?_ Dice raised an eyebrow. _They look a lot younger than this_.

"I know! And today is the happiest day of my life, not only because Prince Dice himself sang on my birthday, but also because I'm finally an adult. I can go to the casino now! They said it's a funny place!"

Cabell really wanted to leave.

"Well, boys, I need to go, until the next and ... happy birthday, Cuphead."

"Thank you very, very, very much!"

Phear Lap was already waiting for Dice. The musician entered the ghostly carriage and it took off. He had no show scheduled for that day. He would just go home.

Midway, watching the city through the window, he can see the colorful lights of the casino shimmering in the middle of the night. _The Devil never came to me again._ the musician thought. _I think he finally gave up on me_.

A sense of relief, mixed with disappointment, pulsed in Dice's chest.

As soon as he got home, the musician went straight to the shower. He took a quick shower, put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and laid in his new king size bed. Too big for someone who slept alone.

Some books were on the bedside table: Barbara Cartland, Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie ... he wasn't a big fan of reading, but sometimes it helped him to fall asleep. Very difficult books bored him, but a few pieces of Shakespeare fell on his lap when he was a boy.

Although the old speech seemed very far-fetched and tedious, he knew how to appreciate a few passages. And one of them came to mind:

 

_“What win I, if I gain the thing I seek?_

_A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy._

_Who buys a minute's mirth to wail a week?_

_Or sells eternity to get a toy?_

_For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?_

_Or what fond beggar, but to touch the crown,_

_Would with the sceptre straight be strucken down?”_

 

 _Poor Minnie..._ he thought. _Nobody understands her._

There was another story of Shakespeare that apparently most people never understood. It was Romeo and Juliet. People believed that story was an ode to romantic love, an incentive for the young to follow their hearts without fear. They were wrong.

The play was, rightly, a critique of inconsequent and youthful love. Romeo begins the piece in love with Rosaline, but goes to a party on a Sunday and forgets Rosaline in a second when he sees Juliet. They proclaim themselves lovers at the counter on Sunday night for Monday. They get married on Tuesday. They have sex only once on Wednesday. And they die on Thursday.

The idea that history is an idealized romance is a vision of the last century. The play was about political order. And the main character is Prince Escalus (who enters in the stage about three times only to reestablish the order). Romeo and Juliet passes the following lesson: follow the advice of parents, because following the heart only gives trouble.

Dice tried to follow his father's advice.

He worked as an accountant in a construction company. He had a great contempt for what he considered 'useless work', such as music, dance, and painting. He detested the architects who wanted to put ridiculous and, in his view, unnecessary curves, colors, and other aesthetic aspects in the buldings.

Dice's mother was more sensitive and dreamed of being a writer, a career that her husband forced her to abandon so as not to disrupt her duties as wife and mother. But she read to Cabell stories of adventure and even sang sometimes. She taught him that life was not just straight gray and monotonous. It was at this time that Shakespeare came into his life. And he began to develop a romantic view of everything.

At age 12 the boy fell in love with a girl from his school. Her name was Betty, a beautiful girl, with a crystal smile, full of life and energy. His father obviously was against it because her family didn't have good money for the dowry.

At age 13 the two fled to live a life as lovers, like Romeo and Juliet. Until the money Dice had stolen from his father was over ... and so the love ended. The girl abandoned him and returned to her family, but Cabell knew that his father had already disowned him for this affront.

The boy took a ship clandestinely to Inkwell Isle and made his living by tapping the streets and singing for coins. He succeeded, achieved fame, money, women and men.  
And he swore he would never allow anyone to rule his life: whether it was his father or his heart.

 _Falling in love should not be very different from losing your soul._ the musician thought, lying on the bed. _You feel ... stuck. You feel like you have no more control over your life._ _The difference is that you are happy. While, when you lose your soul, you should feel sad. On the other hand, when your foreman releases your soul you rejoice. And when the loved one sets you free from her you are still stuck. In pain_.

The Devil was a very energetic and proficient man. He probably didn't do anything if he wasn't sure he would have some gain. And he certainly hated to lose. In a way, he looked a bit like Dice's father.

_Oh, here we go in that old cliché that people often fall in love with people who remember their parents! In this case I think it makes sense to be attracted to a man who only sees me as a source of his own benefit. Someone who wants my soul just to control me._

No, Dice wouldn't allow this.

Despite the emptiness he felt for lack of love (a void that he desperately tried to fill with more fame and money) he wouldn't allow his foolish heart to fall back into the trap of love again.

Never.

Never...


	5. Chapter 5

His suitcases were ready. Dice would leave Inkwell Isle.

To his surprise Tipsy Troop, Hocus Pocus and Phear Lap could not go with him.

"We have to stay here." said the skeleton horse, swinging his skull. "We cannot leave Inkwell Isle."

"What?!" Cabell didn't really expect this. Larger expenses would come from that day. Not to mention that the quality of the performance of the band would fall. "But you are mine. The Devil has given you to me."

"He has sent us to serve you, that is true, but we still belong to him, and he doesn't like us to go far, or he sends us to hell again."

Finally Dice realized: he didn't get gifts, he got ballasts. Those condemned souls were the guarantee that he would stay in Inkwell Isle forever, bound to the comfort that their service provided. And the musician, really, was about to give up on leaving when he heard that.

No. His decision was made.

"Very well." he sighed. "Then you can leave, I will not be in Inkwell Isle anymore, go back to your master."

His ex-servants obeyed and left.

Now Dice needed to call the Cantil Pilot and say he needed transportation out of the island. He didn't want to imagine the man's bad mood, for he had dispensed his transportation services without giving him any satisfaction.

But he barely had time to pick up the phone when a characteristic scent of sulfur was present. At the sound of a small explosion and covered by a little smoke, the Devil appeared.

And he didn't look happy.

"You have no manners." was the first thing the Devil said.

"Good morning to you too." was Dice's bitter response. "And it seems that the lack of manners is reciprocal."

"What kind of person returns a gift?" the Devil continued, approaching Cabell.

"The kind..." the musician's voice faltered for a moment, but only for a moment. "The kind of person who doesn't want to be chained to them. I've been planning to leave Inkwell Isle for a long time, I've done everything I wanted here, it's time to visit other places."

"You're going to lose everything you've conquered."

The way the demon said it was not threatening. It was a statement. As sure as to say that the sun is round and Cabell's head is square.

"I have talent. I can get rich and famous elsewhere."

"You will never have as much success as you have achieved here, outside you will be just another hepster in the midst of so many others, here you are a Prince." the demon paused and licked his lips. "And if you agreed to stay with me, I would make you a King."

That stuffed chest. Those majestic horns. That erect posture. The musculature reasonably visible beneath the black hair ... _no, concentrate! Focus!_

"Sometimes it's better to serve in heaven than to reign in hell." said the musician, taking a step back.

"You lie!" the demon's voice grew angry. He approached Dice. "You want fame! You want the money! You want the power! You want even me! Don't try to deny!"

"No ... I'm not denying it." the musician's breathing grew harder as the demon approached. "But _wanting_ something doesn't mean you _should_ have it."

"Oh, who do you think you are, the messiah? Are you resisting the temptation to consider yourself a virtuous?"

"Virtuous, me?!" Cabell gave a nervous laugh. "Nah, I've done a lot of bad things in my life. But I've never done anything as stupid as selling my soul."

"And who said I want it?!"

The last sentence was almost a shout and caught Dice by surprise.

"It's true that the idea of being able to control you for all eternity is tempting." the demon smiled and touched the musician's face lightly. "To have you forever by my side, groaning in pain and pleasure at any moment I wish, but as I said earlier, I know that you are not like the rest of these stupid brainsless folks of this island. But I don't know why you resist so much in giving your body to me even for one night, I know you want me! "

"Yes, I ... I'm not denying it, but... no, just no."

"Hah ... I really don't understand you!"

At that instant Dice came to an interesting conclusion: the Devil was able to know what was going on in people's minds. But he couldn't understand what was going on inside their hearts.

 _Who can blame him?_ the musician thought. _Not even I understand._

"You're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"What?" The question made Dice awakened from his own confused thoughts.

"Very well." the devil turned away. "So before you leave, I want to give you an invitation: would you like to perform at my casino?"

 

..................................................................

 

 _The Last Cabell Dice Show in Inkwell Isle_. it was written on the big sign on the casino door.

A huge line of people formed in front of the property. The whole island came to prestige his most famous musician in his farewell show. Disconsolate fans wept, like Hilda. Others wanted to give gifts to the hepster and wish him a good trip in foreign waters.

The place was completely packed. It was the largest audience for which Dice had already performed.

He would miss that. Of all the affection of the inhabitants of that island. I would miss every little hick of that place.

And then he sang the last song:

_Boys, what you gonna say down there?_

_Oh boys, what you gonna say down there?_

_Palamar, shalamar, swanny shore_

_Let me dig that jive once more!_

_Boys, take it right on down to the gator_

_Oh boys, gotta take a side elevator_

_Can't you hear those hip cats call_

_Come on boys let's have a ball!_

 

Tipsy Troop were giving their all, since that would be their last performance. Hocus Pocus was also doing a great job with the lights and the show was sensational.

Dice, in turn, danced and sang like never before.

_The jip-jam-jump is a jumpin' jive_

_Makes you dig your jive on the mellow side_

_The jip-jam-jump is a solid jive_

_Makes you nine foot tall when you're four foot five!_

 

There was a surprise for this song. Two incredibly talented dancers, with glasses of whiskey as heads, would appear in the middle of the performance. It was the Nicholas brothers. Two former Inkwell Isle locals, famous overseas, who had returned especially to that performance - the Devil had good contacts.

 

_Now, do not you be that ickeroo_

_Get hip, come on and follow the_

_When you get your steady fool_

_You met your jump like the gators!_

 

They danced well. Very well! Dice had to admit that those two outnumbered him in this regard to a large advantage. _So ... is this the level of excellence needed to succeed abroad? It's very challenging!_ the musician thought.

_Skibbel-of-doo!_

_Now I told you 'bout the jumpin' jive_

_Jip-jam-jum the jumpin 'jive_

_I know you dug this mellow jive_

_Cause you say it on the mellow side!_

 

Two spectacular tap-dancing minutes completed the song majestically. The applause was loud and excited.

That was the end.

A good part of the audience left after the show, since the casino was too small to accommodate so many people at the same time. Cabell saw Hilda being put out after trying to break into the musician's private dressing room. The woman tried to become a sagittarius archer to ward off security, but it didn't work.

Wiping the sweat from his square forehead, Dice entered his dressing room. Inside, the dancers had the whiskey on their transparent heads almost halfway down, indicating that they had used all their energy in that show.

"You guys were great!" the hepster shook hands with both of them. "I wish I could hire you as fixed members of the Big Dice Band."

"You're very good too, sir." said one of the brothers, filling his head with more whiskey. "I think you will succeed outside."

"Oh yes, I would like to ask: how is the bussines show abroad?"

"It's not easy." said the other brother in a pessimistic tone. "Here at Inkwell Isle it's easy to impress people, it's not like out there, the competition is big, be prepared to grate at least twice as thin as here."

"Oh, but I imagine I can live on my art out there."

"Oh yeah, of course, you have enough talent for it, but ..." The man tapped his own head, making a soft 'tlim-tlim' sound echo through the room. "... I'm just saying it's not going to be as easy as here. I and my brother went through bad times in the first three years out there, but today we have a reasonable reputation."

"I don't know how you aren't the most famous dancers in the world."

The Nicholas brothers looked at each other and exchanged smiles. On the one hand they were flattered by compliments, but at the same time a little sad at Cabell's innocence.

"Ah, my dear friend ... if only talent were enough! Things outside are not so simple."

"It is true." one of them stood up. "There are a lot of contingencies that can go wrong, sometimes they can all go wrong at the same time, and we're not saying this to scare you: it's the reality, my brother and I, with all the talent we have, we got a comfortable life. And the kings of dance out there are less talented than we are, but the contingencies worked best for them. "

"It might work out better for you, too." the other brother patted Cabell on the back as he made his way out of the dressing room. "Good luck, I hope we can work together more often when you go abroad."

 

.....................................................

 

An hour had passed since the end of the show and Dice did no more than to drink many shots of whiskey.

He was a little drunk, but he was still able to go home alone. Although the Devil had offered him one last transport service from Phear Lap, the musician had refused. He preferred to go home by himself.

Although he wasn't in the mood to meet Devil again, he decided to take a tour of the casino. The place was still running in full swing, with several people placing their bets. Some were lucky and others were unlucky.

 _I wonder if I'll be lucky out of here._ the musician thought, leaning on slot machines to keep his balance. _The future, now, is uncertain ..._

As soon as he thought about it, a chorus of excited voices could be heard behind him. At the Craps table, some skeletons (probably from hell) celebrated the victory of two boys who had been playing for several minutes with very high stakes.

Dice acknowledged the two: Cuphead and Mugman, the two youngsters for whom he had done a private show weeks ago. The brothers were so focused on the game that they did not even realize that the idol was near them, watching everything.

"Hot Dawg!" Cabell exclaimed, a bit drunk and happy for the boys' luck. "These fellas can't lose!"

"Nice run, boys!" a voice rumbled through the room.

It was the Devil. He appeared to the two young men (and apparently he didn't notice Dice leaning next to one of the slot machines) grinning menacingly. Cuphead and Mugman looked frightened for a moment, but the demon soon began to speak:

"Now, how about we raise the stakes?" he took the dice from the table and displayed them majestically. "Win on more roll, and all the loot in my casino is yours!" the Devil boomed. "But if you lose, I'll have your souls! Deal?"

 _No. They will not do this ..._ thought Dice, a little alarmed at that proposal. _No ... they're smart boys! They will not ...! ... cannot...!_

Cuphead, blinded by easy riches, nodded and grabbed the dice for a throw.

"Good gosh, Cuphead, no!" cried Mugman, for he understood the danger. But it was too late!

"Snake eyes!" laughed the Devil while slamming the floor. "You lose! Now, about those souls…"

"NO!"

The two brothers, who were already frightened to realize that they had lost the bet, were even more startled to hear Dice's voice. The man appeared behind them.

"Mi-mister Dice?!" Cuphead exclaimed, looking up and seeing the face of his idol. "Were you still here ?! I thought you were gone!"

"Cabell." The demon was also surprised, but he tried not to show. "Don't disturb my business. I just won the soul of these two cupfaces!"

"Th-there must be another w-way to repay you!" Mugman stammered.

"Yes there is." Dice stepped forward, staying between the two boys and the demon. "Don't take the souls of these two, they are young and good, they don't deserve to become your puppets! If you want more souls, take _mine_!"

This time the demon couldn't hide his surprise. His immense yellow eyes grew even wider. Just like the eyes of the two boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Nicholas brothers are based on two incredible homonymous dancers who made some numbers along with Cab Calloway.


	6. Chapter 6

The entire casino was silent for a moment, the air was so thick it was possible to cut it with a knife. Immediately, several skeleton clerks began to address to customers, asking them to return to their games and pay no attention to the small scene that was taking place near the craps table.

Two men were arguing, while two boys with cups on their heads watched everything, kneeling and shaking with fear.

"I'll repeat." said the man with the square head. "If you want more souls, take mine! But don't take the boys'."

The black-haired man with horns on his head grunted before speaking:

"What do you _think_ you're doing?!" the Devil's voice was low and threatening. "Will you surrender your soul to save these two brats you barely know?! Who has nothing to do with you?! "

"Why not? An altruistic act is for any person."

"B-but mister ...!" Cuphead murmured. It was possible to see in his eyes that the boy wanted to ask him not to do this, but he was too afraid to speak.

"Don't worry, boys." the musician reached out and helped them to stand up. "I have committed many sins in my life, I would be sentenced to hell in one way or another, not a great loss."

"B-but ... but we ...!" Mugman tried to protest.

"Don't argue you two, just leave, while you still can."

Obediently, the two boys rushed out of the casino. And the Devil let them go.

"You know this doesn't help, does it?" the demon smiled. "I can have minions go after them and force them to sign the contract of their souls."

"But you will not." Dice walked toward the creature and stared into his eyes. "Because you have a much more interesting counter-proposal here in front of you, and it's better you to take advantage of it, because this is the only chance you'll have to get with my soul."

The Devil seemed to be upset for a moment, but then he burst into laughter:

"Hahahahaha ... You... you... _demon_! That's what you wanted, isn't it? A plausible reason to sell your soul without appearing to be selfish or stupid! Save the poor little boys seems very selfless of you part, very heroic! Sacrificing yourself for the sins of others."

"I don't care what you think." Dice looked uncomfortable, but held a firm stance. "So, are you going to take the bargain?"

"What? You really think I would lose, as you said yourself, this unique opportunity?!"

The Devil clapped his hands and a contract written on the sheets of an old parchment appeared in the air, along with a feather wet with a kind of red paint. It was the contract of Cabell's soul. With a huge smile, he handed the quill to the musician.

Dice shivered. He hesitated for a moment but resolutely signed the contract. And the moment he did this, he felt a strange sensation.

It was as if a huge weight had disappeared from his shoulders. As if they had ordered him a lot of tasks, a series of goals to complete and, out of nowhere, they all disappeared.

All the plans, all the ideas, all his duties, all his wants and whims were simply gone. But if on the one hand the weight on the back disappeared, on the other the emptiness that remained was not welcoming. It was a rather unpleasant sensation of having nothing to do, absolutely nothing. Like a blank sheet stored inside a drawer, without any use.

"Come up to my room." the demon ordered. And that order, in that instant, filled the whole existence of Dice. He, in short, had a goal to fulfill.

 _So ... this is it?_ he thought, unable to disobey the Devil's orders, even if he wanted to.

 

...........................................

 

The room was large and spacious with macabre decoration in black and red. The furniture was oddly shaped and crooked, as if it had come out of a German expressionism film or something. There was a huge round bed in the center of the room covered in red satin.

"Get on the bed." ordered the Devil. And Dice obeyed. "Take off your clothes."

The demon made no specification in the way Cabell should undress himself, whether it should be fast or slow. In a sensual or colloquial way. Starting with the shirt or shoes. This, for a little while, gave the hepster a little self-will.

"Ok." he said with great difficulty. That little act of rebellion (after all, the demon hadn't ordered him to speak) cost him a lot of energy. But then he began:

Slowly, Dice sat on the bed and began to remove his clothes. First the suit. Then he loosened his tie. He took off his shoes and slowly pulled his pants, valuing every inch of his exposed legs. The Devil realized that the musician was giving him a show of his own free will and this encouraged him.

"That... yes!" said the creature, touching the center of his legs, where a bulge was already beginning to swell among the black hairs. "You can continue to do it the way you're doing!"

Smiling (by his master's decision or willingly?) Dice slowly removed his sock garters and the socks. Then he unbuttoned his vest and shirt. He puffed out his chest, showing off his well-defined musculature and knelt on the bed. He started to remove his underwear when...

"Stop." the devil ordered. "On your fours."

Obeying immediately, Dice rested his knees and hands on the soft mattress and lowered his head, awaiting the next order. The Devil approached, staring at his buttocks that were now up. With a broad, hairy hand, he slowly pulled Dice's underwear, leaving slight scratches on his skin.

"Lick your fingers and begin to thrust yourself."

Cabell let out a moan of anticipation with the command and took two fingers to his mouth. Then he directed his saliva-wet fingers to his entrance. With a smooth, calculated movement (fortunately the Devil hadn't ordered him to do this quickly) he began to dig his fingers into his own hole.

"Uhhh ..." he moaned, taking pleasure in that action. It had been a while since he'd been satisfied like that. Little by little he was digging his fingers deeper and deeper, scrubbing and allowing his entrance to widen and prepared for the inevitable.

The devil watched the scene with adoration. His member was already visible among the black hairs at the base of his abdomen, big, thick, and hard. Dice watched that huge member in the demon's hands and imagined it would tear him apart. The thought made him even more excited.

Approaching slowly, the Devil began to touch the legs of his new lackey. His long, forked tongue slid through his skin, dancing in the most sensitive areas until he climbed to the entrance, where he gently removed Dice's fingers and pierced it with his tongue.

" _Aaahh!_ " Cabell had a spasm as he felt that stewed muscle get inside him. Sinking his head on the mattress, he grabbed the sheets and tried to camouflage some of his screams (another small act of rebellion). He wanted to take his hand to his own member, standing erect and dripping, to touch, but he couldn't. That action went beyond what was allowed for a soulless person and whose master hadn't ordered anything specific.

 _I need to touch myself, I need ...!_ he thought, feeling his body tremble as the Devil continued to lick him, to scratch him, to bite him. _Command me to touch myself, you bastard! C'mon! This is too much ...!_

His insubordinate thoughts were interrupted when he felt something big and broad penetrate him at once. He would scream if his voice had not stopped in the middle of his non-existent throat. The Devil was now inside him, his cock enveloped completely inside Dice's body. The lackey let out a breath that he held for almost a full minute when he felt the head of the demon's penis touch his prostate.

And the creature did not move. He kept his strong claws on Dice's hips, his prick full sheathed, but he didn't move a millimeter. Drops of sweat began to sprout from the hepster's square forehead.

"You can speak whatever comes to mind!" said the demon, stroking Cabell's hips lightly.

"Mo-move ..." he murmured. "S-start moving ... please ...!"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Ugh!" Dice thought about starting to move his hips of his own, but he couldn't. "If ... if you do not start moving ... my fucking balls will explode...!"

"Why did you bargain your soul?" the demon asked, his voice low and his nails sharp penetrating the hips of his servant. "You didn't need to get to this point, you wanted to fuck me from the beginning, didn't you? You _wanted_ me ..." The demon moved a little, his member came out and penetrated Dice hard. "... you wanted _me_ ..." one more thrust, strong and violent. "... you always wanted me! You didn't have to bargain your soul for it!"

Dice would have answered, had he not been busy groaning louder and louder. The thrusts of the demon were getting faster and brutal by the second. He tried to hold on to the bed sheets, but it was useless. The Devil had full control of his body, penetrating ever deeper, more and more violently. The bed swayed with each bump, the sound of skin and sweating pounding echoed through the room, just like the wet sound of a huge cock coming in and out almost completely a hole soaked in saliva and ... blood.

Red liquid was trickling down Dice's legs. The claws would leave soft scars on his skin and purple markings would stay the length of his thigh for days. The demon was being violent and ruthless. There was not a single dose of tenderness in that copulation, just the total domination of a helpless partner.

And that was all Dice wanted.

Prince Dice reigned for a long time. Years ago he escaped the oppressive judgment of two tyrants: his father and his heart. After this experience he would never bow to anyone. He would never be a marionette for anyone. He would never let them control him ...

... oh, by God Almighty... being controlled again was all he wanted!

Be controlled body, soul and heart again. But this time, he wanted his master to be worthy. Not a professionally frustrated man or vain teenage girls. Someone strong and powerful. Someone who was firm and had no mercy. Someone like ... the Devil himself.

Inside and out, inside and out. The bed swaying. Sweat dripping down every pore of the body. The wet noises. And finally, the roar:

_"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"_

Dice came in the red sheets and his whole body collapsed on the bed. At the same time he could feel something thick and sticky dripping from his entrance. The demon came inside him and now lay on top of his servant's body, catching his breath.

They both stood still, breathing heavily. Cabell would love to get out from under the Devil's heavy body to give his lungs a little more room to expand, but he couldn't do it. All he could do was wait for his master to stand up.

And it was faster than he expected.

"Ah ..." the Devil said, his voice carrying some regret as he stood at the side of the bed. "Look at you!"

Turning his head, Dice peered over his own shoulder. His back was all scratched, as were his buttocks. Blood strands ran from a few scratches and red marks (which would then turn purple and then yellowish) tinged his skin. There was also a pink liquid running through his legs. It was his blood, along with the Devil's cum.

Cabell probably would have said something if extreme fatigue had not taken hold of him after the effort he made at that sex (not to mention that he had not fully recovered from his previous drunkenness). Without a word he just closed his eyes and fell into unconsciousness.

 

............................................................

 

Dice awoke in a different bed. It was rectangular, with blue bedspread and yellow accents. It seemed to be one of several guest rooms that the casino owned for those customers who liked to sleep and wake up gambling.

He looked at a clock on the nightstand and realized that it had not been too long since he and Devil had had sex. Only two hours or so.

However, it seemed that he would not have the opportunity to rest a little longer. The demon was sitting at the foot of his bed, his back to him. He was holding something in his hands.

"Master?" Cabell murmured, sitting on the bed and feeling the pain of his aching body. "You ... do you want something?"

The Devil took a long minute to respond.

"Why did you bargain your soul with me?" he turned his head slowly. "And don't give me the excuse that it was to save those two brats! Speak the truth! I have your soul in my hands!" he displayed the rolled parchment. "You cannot lie!"

"Because ..." Dice began, feeling a little afraid. Fear of truth. "... because you already had it."

"What?" the demon's eyes widened.

"I fell in love with you from the first moment I saw you. I don't know, I think I have a weakness for cruel and authoritarian figures." the musician smiled and bowed his head. "I tried to deny this feeling, believing it was just lust, telling myself it was just physical attraction, but ... no."

Dice approached the demon, even without him having ordered her to do this. He continued:

"I always feared people who wanted to control me, I ran away from home because of that, I cried for days when my first love ran away from me, and for this I decided that nobody else would dominate me, I wouldn't be a plaything of anyone, but ... heh! Who would have thought that the Devil himself, the king of plays, would treat me like a prince. " Dice made a face. "An overly chivalrous and annoying attitude, if I may say so!"

"Hah!" the demon shook his head. "And I thought you were a difficult prize! I could read in your mind your desire for me, but I didn't understand why you resisted so much."

With a wave of his hand, the Devil made a cigar appear between his fingers. He blew a puff of fire and lit it. He continued:

"I only though that you didn't want to barter your soul with me. Fair! I was more interested in your body than in your soul, but with each refusal of yours, with each resistance, my temptation only increased. Hah! Me, the Devil himself, tempted! " he handed the cigar to Dice.

"You could just have taken me by force on several occasions." Cabell lifted the cigar to his lips and swallowed. He blew the smoke up. "In the forest, for example."

"It wouldn't be fun. Conquering is better than catching it." he took the cigar from Dice's hands and swallowed. "One day even the King of Cheating thinks it's a bummer to always win and starts playing according to the rules. This is the bad part of being an absolute king: there's nothing left for you to conquer and the game is over."

"That's what Shakespeare said in one of his plays."

"You are very cultured, very intelligent!" the Devil approached him and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Someone like you would be a prince in Hell!"

Dice opened his mouth to answer, but a shudder that ran through his entire body prevented him. Yes, hell ... now that he had sold his soul, he was doomed to hell. _Well, it will not be that bad_. he thought. _At least now I am free of all my desires and responsibilities. It's not so unpleasant ..._

"... I said 'would' ..." the Devil reiterated, taking the musician by surprise. "... but is 'shall be no more.'"

Using the burning tip of his cigar, the demon burned the rolled parchment in his hands. The contract with Dice's soul.

Immediately Cabell felt his whole will returning. His plans, his goals, his whims ... all had returned at once. It was so sudden that he felt sick.

"Ugh, w-why did you do t-this?!" the musician shook his head. "I was ... it was all right a minute ago! I didn't have to worry about anything else! No goals to fight. No expectations! Without... without ...!"

"Hope." the Devil said, blowing the ashes of the contract burned away. " _'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.'_ is what it says on the threshold of the vestibule of hell. Many souls who cross the portal of damnation are afraid to read these enrolled, but when they take a step into hell they realize that losing the Hope is not so bad. "

"It really wasn't." Dice shuddered. All his doubts and fears were back. The future, again, was uncertain. "And now?"

"Now?" the Devil got up from the bed. "Now you're free to do whatever you want.You can leave Inkwell Isle if it's really your wish. I will allow you to take Phear Lap with you. Even the drunken trio and the schizophrenic rabbit. The Big Dice Band will not suffer any loss. However... "

"Yes?" Dice questioned, a strange smile on his face.

"Ugh ..." The demon shook his head. "It's strange, I'm used to order people and not asking favors." the creature sighed. "I was going to say that even though you're free, I'd like to ask you to stay in Inkwell Isle and be the manager of my casino, to be my right arm, to be my ..." The Devil paused. "... to be my lover."

Cabell didn't answer. He just got up from the bed, held the Devil's face in his hands and gave him a long, passionate kiss. When they pulled away the demon was surprised.

"hey ... it's the first time someone kisses me willingly." he said, smiling.

"So it's good you to get used to it, because I accept your proposal." Dice gave another quick kiss to the demon's lips. "I don't want to leave Inkwell Isle, I was just trying to get away, run away again, I like this bunch of stupid, lovable bucks, and I like you too."

The demon laughed softly and hugged Dice tightly, gently caressing his hips that were still sore.

"Hey, remember when I asked you for a kiss days ago and said I would give you my soul in return?"

"Yes." Dice raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a soul, to begin with?"

"Of course I have." the demon looked surprised by the question. "Everyone has a soul."

"Oh. And you really would give it to me in exchange for a kiss?"

"It is already yours! The real master here is you ... my King Dice!"

The musician didn't seem very convinced of all that servitude, but it didn't matter. He licked his lips as a deliciously perverted idea passed in his mind.

"In this case ..." he said, kneeling on the bed. "... I command you to use your demonic mouth again tonight!"

"Oh, with all the pleasure, my king!" the demon replied, salivating and lowering his head.

 

**EPILOGUE**

 

Elder Kettle's eyes widened when he saw his two grandchildren bursting into the house.

"It's our fault ...!" Mugman sobbed, rubbing his red eyes.

"No, it's _my_ fault!" exclaimed Cuphead, shaking his head in dismay. "Oh, it was all my fault! If I hadn't made that stupid bet ...!"

"Boys!" the old man approached the grandchildren. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Prince Dice lost his soul because of us!" Mugman ran into his grandfather's arms and continued to cry.

"By my fault!" Cuphead sat on the floor and began to hit his own head. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! I should jump off the bridge and crack this useless cup!"

"One moment, boys!" the old man took the two boys by the hand. "Calm down first, and please tell me what happened!"

Between more cries and sobs, the two brothers told everything that happened in the casino.

"Has he done this? Has he sell his soul to save yours?" Kettle removed the small cap from his head and lowered it with respect. "Prince Dice really is a hero."

"Y-yes ... and now ... now he's a devil's slave because of me!" Cuphead cried again.

"This is not fair!" exclaimed Mugman. "A good and talented man like Dice in the hands of the Devil... please, Grandpa, there is nothing we can do? Is there no way we can save the prince?"

The old man cast a sad look at the two boys and then glanced sideways at an old trunk where he kept some ancient relics. Between them two doses of a strange magic potion that gave power to whoever drank them.

"Hmmm." Kettle stroked his metal whiskers. "Maybe there's a way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to all who follow the fic! It became more "philosophical" than I intended, but I am content to be at the end.
> 
> Valeu!


End file.
